Chidambaram refuses to comment on Musharraf's Kargil remarks

25 July 2009The Hindustan Times

Hoshiarpur: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday refused to comment on former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's remarks that the Kargil conflict in 1999 was a 'big success' for Pakistan as it forced India to start talks on the Kashmir issue. 'No comments,' was the blunt reply of the Indian Home Minister when asked about Musharraf's comments made in an interview to a TV news channel recently. Chidambaram was at the Border Security Force (BSF) training camp at Kharkan near this Punjab town, 150 km from Chandigarh, on Saturday to take the salute at the passing out parade of the first batch of nearly 180 women recruits who would guard the international border with their male counterparts. Musharraf, who was the army chief of Pakistan in 1999, had said in the interview that the Kargil operation was a 'big success' as it forced India to come to the negotiating table on Kashmir, 'Yes, indeed, it was a big success because it had (an) impact even on the attitude of the Indian side. How did we start discussing the Kashmir dispute?' Musharraf asked interviewer Karan Thapar in the 'Devil's Advocate' programme to be telecast on CNN-IBN on Sunday. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan with Pakistan demanding that the people of the state be allowed to determine their future. The home minister also did not say anything on the latest controversy between India and Pakistan over the Balochistan issue. Media in Pakistan this week reported that the Pakistan government had handed over a dossier to the Indian leadership accusing India of fomenting trouble in the Pakistani province. The Pakistani dossier also accused India for being behind the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore city earlier this year. India has dismissed both these accusations.